Meet the filmmakers

Ryan Ferguson – Director, Producer, DP

Ryan Ferguson, Filmmaker

Ryan co-founded Flyback Productions in his last semester at Columbia College in Chicago. Through Flyback, he has spent the past 8 years producing, shooting, and editing videos for clients such as Ford Motor Company, Washburn Guitars, Super 8 Hotels, Vh1, the Cook County Juvenile Court. In addition to his commercial work, Ryan also has directed, shot, and edited three independent documentary shorts. The most recent, A WEEK TO KILL, follows standup comedian Hannibal Buress for the week leading up to the taping of his first Comedy Central hour special. Comedy Central recently purchased the film and it will appear both online and on the DVD release of Hannibal’s special. SKATE OR DIE is Ryan’s first feature film.

Azam Ahmed – Producer, Writer

Azam Ahmed, Journalist

Azam has written for several media organizations, including the Dow Jones Newswires, the Wall Street Journal and the Chicago Tribune, who published the story that thematically inspired SKATE OR DIE. A graduate of the University of Virginia, he has lived and worked in New York, Washington D.C., Brussels, Belgium and Chicago, and has traveled through more than 30 countries across the globe. Azam currently is a reporter for the New York Times. SKATE OR DIE is Azam’s first venture into documentary filmmaking.